


champagne in a coffee cup

by oh_la_fraise



Series: Jacey and the pussycats [1]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare, The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types
Genre: Cats, Fluff, M/M, spoilers for 2x08
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-22
Updated: 2017-02-22
Packaged: 2018-09-26 04:43:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 950
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9863408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oh_la_fraise/pseuds/oh_la_fraise
Summary: It took Jace a little while to realize that something was subtly different about his favorite spot, but it finally occurred to him: he hadn’t seen any of the cats on the balcony in a few days.





	

**Author's Note:**

> A brief fic in response to last night's episode because I spent all day wondering how the fuck the cats got up there?
> 
> Title is from Made of Gold by Shenna.

Living with Magnus wasn’t too bad, all things considered.Magnus had really good taste in fancy food and wine, and he was always eager to share.He hadn’t given Jace flack about the girls he’d been bringing back, even though Jace had gotten an earful from Alec on more than one occasion.Magnus and Jace had even taken to watching chest horror movies on Netflix together, laughing at how unrealistic they were. 

But, by far, the best perk was the balcony. 

The Institute was only a few stories; it wasn’t worth the energy it would take to glamor a skyscraper.Windows were far and few, making it harder for enemies to break through.Tactically it made sense, but it left a little to be desired in terms of aesthetics.

Since he’d been staying at Magnus’s, Jace had spent every possible minute on the balcony.It was _incredible._ The couch was comfortable enough to sink into, and there was a nearly constant refreshing breeze.Jace had always been a creature of the sun—the dark and cold New York winters were always a struggle for him—and the heat on the balcony made his bones feel warm.Jace was objectively out there to research and study, but he’d taken more naps on the hammock than he cared to admit.

It took Jace a little while to realize that something was subtly different about his favorite spot, but it finally occurred to him: he hadn’t seen any of the cats on the balcony in a few days.He’d never admit it, but the fat black and white cat named Scooter (Magnus insisted his name was Octavius, but like hell Jace was saying _Octavius_ out loud) was really cuddly and made a good lap blanket when it got too cold. 

When Jace asked his landlord about it, Magnus shrugged, seemingly unbothered.“My fondness of them nearly got your entire family killed.It seemed silly to keep letting them up.”

Jace frowned.Magnus _babied_ those cats.He called all of them by name, and spoke to them in various languages.There was always top shelf soft food available at the flick of a wrist.Hell, Magnus, because cats didn’t end up on a penthouse balcony by themselves, had _set up a magic portal_ for them to come up whenever they wished.Jace had seen parents less affectionate to their flesh and blood children.

So Jace turned to the expert on all things Magnus.

“Has Magnus seemed down to you the last few days?”

Alec blinked.“You want to know if _my_ boyfriend seems off?”

“Dude, just answer the question.”

Alec picked his thumb.It was a habit he’d had since he was a little kid; he did it when it he was trying to appear nonchalant.It should have been useless as Jace could literally feel his emotions, but it usually worked: it drove Jace batty enough that he got distracted trying to get Alec to stop.  This time, however, Jace was determined to keep pressing.

“ _Dude,_ ” he repeated.

Alec sighed.“I figured he was just down because of all the shit happening.But if you’ve noticed, something must be really wrong.”

“He kicked out the cats,” Jace said.

Alec swore.“Shit, you’re right.I haven’t seen any of them in days.Ever since the—“His eyes widened.

“Since the party,” Jace finished. 

“Fuck.He blames himself, huh?”

The question was obviously rhetorical, so instead of responding, Jace raised an eyebrow.“So what are we gonna do about it?”

~

“Keep your eyes closed,” Alec said, gently pushing Magnus through the open balcony doors. 

“You’re not going to push me off the roof, are you?” Magnus joked.

Jace, from where he was holding the door opened, smirked.He probably should have left the two lovebirds to do this on their own, but Jace had literally _bled_ for this project.He had a smashed thumb from a hammer that even an Iratze wouldn’t heal.

“Okay, open.And before you say anything too graphically sexual, Jace is also here.He helped.”Alec said.

Magnus slowly opened his eyes, grin fading from his face as he took in the square wooden frame that had been erected on the balcony.“Uh. . .Thank you?” he said, turning towards Jace and Alec.

“Tell him,” Jace said, poking Alec in the back.

Alec rolled his eyes, but he was grinning too.“Jace told me that you that you had stopped the cats from coming up here.”

Magnus’s face fell.“I figured it was the safest thing,” he said.

Alec shook his head.“And I appreciate that.But I know how much you love those cats.So, we talked to Catarina.”

Magnus was still staring at them, but the smile was slowly, unsurely returning to his face.“Yeah?”

Alec smiled back.“Yeah.She came up with a spell that won’t let anything that isn’t 100% feline through through.You put it in the frame in front of the portal they come up through, and you can let them up again.”

Magnus blinked, and if his eyes were a little wet, Jace wasn’t going to say anything.“Thank you.Both of you.”

Jace shrugged.“I missed Scooter.”

“For the last time, his name is Octav—You know what, I’ll let it go this time.”

Jace smiled, backing up towards the door.Judging by the looks Magnus was giving Alec, it was his cue to leave.“Don’t have sex on the couch, please,” he pleaded as he retreated inside.“I sit there, like, all the time.”

If Jace left the apartment, partially to give Magnus and Alec some private time, but also to buy some cat treats, that was no one’s business but his own.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm on tumblr at ohlafraise.tumblr.com.


End file.
